It is often a common sight to see a driver retire from NASCAR racing only to get back in the car a few years later once they have a new opportunity. But this constant on-and-off from the racing lifestyle isn’t something that recently retired driver Kevin Harvick wanted to do. In fact, he had some sound advice from Mark Martin regarding the judgment call to plan for his eventual retirement.
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Recently, while speaking with Dale Earnhardt Jr. on his podcast, Harvick shared, “There’s very few that get out of the car, that got out by choice. It’s just you’re building to this whole process to the end and you know, it’s the end.”
The former SHR driver mentioned that many NASCAR drivers reach the end of their careers without a clear direction or plan. He also noted that some drivers retire due to a lack of available rides, but then come out of retirement once they secure a new ride. Harvick said, “It seems like the right thing to do.”
Adding, “I think that’s one thing that Mark Martin was very clear on and he had the retirement tour and then unretired and raced several more years. He’s like, ‘Kevin, just make sure you race until you know, 100% that you’re done.'”
Kevin Harvick feels satisfied to have closed his racing chapter himself
Speaking further, Harvick explained how it was not just Martin, but someone else’s advice that also helped him decide to retire when he finally believed he was done with everything. He stated, “I think it’s, Joe Girardi said the same thing. He said, ‘Kevin, make sure you take that jersey off for yourself. Don’t let them take it off for you.'”
“I think for me that really hit home and that was Joe told me that five or six years ago, when I first started thinking about all this. And Mark was probably you know, four or five years ago as well.”
In the end, Harvick concluded that he was satisfied with “being able to close that chapter myself…” At the end of the day, the ultimate decision lay in his hands. Now that he has taken off his helmet, he can enjoy the rest of his life doing other things he loves, and giving more time to his family and friends, instead of pondering over joining the sport again sometime in the future.
